When Beverley

Watson signed court papers withdrawing her legal request to divorce her

husband Jim on Jan. 18, 1995, she appeared "Frightened, scared to

death, shaking," her divorce attorney testified in court Friday.

Jim Bischoff

said that he was "vehemently opposed" to Beverley Watson dropping

the divorce case, which is why he had her sign the document before he

filed the dismissal papers in Fayette County Superior Court two days later.

Bischoff explained

that normally when a client requests the drop of a divorce case he will

sign the document for them. But in this case, since he was against Beverly

dropping the divorce case, he required her to come to his office and sign

the document herself.

Bischoff said

he didn't recall getting any tapes from Beverley Watson but he did show

her how to secretly record conversations with her husband. If Bischoff

received tapes from Beverley, he would have returned them to her after

the case was dismissed, he testified.

Bischoff said

he usually suggested such actions to his clients "...when I think

among other things there is a danger."

In questioning

Bischoff, defense attorney Ricky Morris Jr. pointed out that court papers

to initiate the divorce were not filed until Aug. 4, 1994 four months

after Beverley Watson first met with Bischoff to discuss filing a divorce

action against her husband.

The couple

later reconciled as several witness have already testified in the case.

But while the case was pending, the couple was separated.

Morris also

pointed out how Jim Watson was not served with the temporary restraining

order issued as a part of that divorce case until three days after the

papers were filed. That order restrained both Jim Watson and Beverley

Watson from being in each others' presence according to testimony.

Morris asked

Bischoff if he could have had the papers served sooner to Jim Watson.

Bischoff replied that he could have done so by hiring a private process

server instead of paying the Sheriff's Department to serve the papers

on Jim Watson.

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